Personal Hall of Heroes Inductees

Our Sweet Annaleigh makes 5…..

5 United Pentecostal Church International preachers kids to have died tragically in our city over the last 50 years….

Every man of God who has dared challenge the dark spirit of this city has been dealt this horrific blow by Hell, which is intended to neutralize him….

I have personally known every one of these good, Godly, ethical men…..

They sought the Lord and followed the Spirit and dared challenge the darkness…..

Names not be called…..

The gravestones of preacher kids bear sufficient record….

These things I write of today are no secret to our church for I chronicled them to CUPC last Sunday in a message called, “That’s Enough”…..

The battle has been long and bloody…..

The casualties too precious and painful……

Cancer tried to take out my son Trent, but healing came….

24 car wrecks with 3 totaled cars were the method for my Redonia…..

Today both are healthy…..

Healthy and grieving for our sweet baby…..

This cycle began 50 years ago with a drowning….

And the enemy has come full circle with another drowning……

Last week we publically discussed this and declared the cycle stopped and that we had all had enough….

That’s Enough Devil!!!!

Then one day last week as I communed with the Lord, He spoke….

Son, we have broken the spirit of the city.  I did not use a horse, I did not use a chariot, I did not use a trained army.  Rather, I used a sweet little 15 month old baby.  And just as I used a baby to conquer in my day, I use one in yours.  The spirit is broken…..

God knows what he is doing……

I outlined and titled a book last year that is waiting on me to just fill in the gaps entitled…

“But If I Die”

This book is based on the Conroe story of Apostolic dimension and built around the scripture found in John 12:24….

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The entire premise is simply….

Seeds fall into the ground….

Seeds die….

If it doesn’t fall and die it abides alone and never sees spiritual multiplication….

The big IF is….

If it dies…..

And indeed that is the big IF…..

If it dies it multiplies into much…..

Multiplication of seeds that are willing to fall and die again for another harvest….

For every harvest requires a death of the best of the seed…..

When pain and pressure of spiritual planting season comes many seeds do not land in the ground, rather they land in more comfy places…..

However, I humbly believe our sweet Annaleigh is a fallen seed that will indeed multiply into an incredible harvest…..

The book will have to be re-planned in a few months…..

But the purpose of this writing is prompted by one of the hundreds of notes I have received the last few days…..

Bro. Smith,  You don't know me, nor I you, outside of minimal contact, but your tragedy and inspiration as you have dealt with the bittersweet has, I believe, touched a multitude that might never otherwise been touched.  Thank you for your demeanor and spirit.  I along with the multitude of friends and etc., have grieved with you and your family from afar, with many prayers, however, today, April 30, it seems my grief for you is overwhelming.  In the midst of it all I felt a nudge in my spirit to tell you, the lifetime of a seed of corn is 21 days.  In that timeframe it goes through its process of germination, and sprouts its little leaf, bursting through the soil!  As precious and special your little angel, I know words don't even come close, but know that out of all this, there will be an unforgettable seed growth that will come, and is even now in the soil of the spirit, embraced by all that is perfect, awaiting the perfect time to reproduce!  Our prayers continue, and I yet weep with you today!  We are still honking our horn in memory of a sweet angel that you have graciously introduced to us all!  We would otherwise have never known her.  Don't feel pressured to answer…….

I did answer…..

I needed that confirmation of the spirit…..

And to those unsung heroes of the faith who dared challenge the darkness of this community….

To those who left after feeling so neutralized by the tragic death of their most precious children…..

Some of you have passed on so I write to your spirits and memories and sacrifices and…..

And your fallen seeds…..

Your children left buried in the soil of this city…..

Your sacrifice is not unnoticed, nor forgotten…..

Your seed was planted deep in this soil…..

Pain, loneliness and grief were your forte for years……

But your….

Your most precious seeds…..

Your children…..

Were not planted in vain…..

They too contributed to the breaking of that darkness that seemed to wrap and take them from you…..

But their germination is now complete…..

The dark spirit has been broken……

And springing up from your children and my sweet grandbaby Annaleigh….

Is new life….

New hope…..

Mulitiplication and harvest….

Your dreams will come to pass…..

Your nightmares are turning to rejoicing…..

I honor your sacrifice……

Today, I choose to not call your names….

But one day…

The King of the Ages will not be able to…..

To not call them….

Until then….

Well done faithful soldiers…..

You dared to challenge the darkness of Conroe Texas……

You are listed in my personal Hall of Heroes……

For you and I have shared the same pain….

rks

Jillion Word Pic

My Dad & My Annaleigh

The Word Blogs For Me

1 Cor 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

Prov 25:4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Today the Word blogs for me…….

My simple comment is……

We have walked through the fire…..

Days have come and gone……..

The fire has burned……

Works made manifest…….

Wood, hay, stubble and dross revealed and burned off…..

Gold, silver and precious foundational stones revealed by that fire…..

And God has allowed us to be surrounded by silver….

Silver set in gold and enhanced by the most precious of gems…..

You know who you are…….

As do we….

So does He…….

rks

Mid.Point Wonder...

Tonight’s bible lesson at CUPC was for the pastor if for no one else….

One of our staff ministers, Kevin Vyvial stepped up and grand slammed the Wed night Mid.Point faithful…..

As he talked I listened with one ear and my mind traveled out ahead…..

David was stripped of two things at Ziklag….

Those he trusted and those he loved…..

I have been there….

More than one time I have been stripped of those I trusted…..

And more recently stripped of one I loved…..

Job likewise was stripped of some things…..

Cattle; his income, his revenue stream…..

Camels; transportation and mobility……

Family: kids were all stripped from him in an instant….

Wife’s faith; even the wifey no longer had faith to believe in him or his God…..

Friends: his friends were an unlikely bunch who hung around but did nothing to encourage or life him up…..

I too have seen days when I was stripped of finance, those I trusted, finding myself paralyzed unable to be mobile and even had my family discouraged around me…..

But Bro V tonight took us to Psalm 77……

And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.  I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.  Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:

I will remember the right hand of power of the Lord….

I will remember wonder…..

I will meditate thy works….

I will spend time in the sanctuary…..

I left our Mid.Point service tonight with new resolve to …..

Spend time in the sanctuary pondering His works and His wonder and the power of His right hand…..

Day 14

Hey Mr. & Mrs. Smith, where is the beautiful baby girl, came the shout across the room…..

Silence…….

And the lovely little Luby lady, Linda knew something was wrong with the question…..

Tracie quietly responded….

She passed away…..

And it hit me….

14 days ago Annaleigh toddled into eternity…….

Trust me….

Pain is pain is pain is pain is pain….

Grief is grief is grief……

And emotions will do what emotions do in the painful time of grief…..

Our’s sure have…..

Amid incredible love and support emotions do what emotions do….

Amid incredible faith and trust, emotions do what emotions do…..

My office day was filled with great people stopping by and loving us……

But emotions do what emotions do…….

Today my emotions have done exactly what I told them not to do……

So I retreated with Tracie to the cemetery……

None of us are exempt from such emotion….

If we deny ourselves the pain we deny ourselves the sweetness of tomorrows joy…..

If we super man our way through the dark we get trapped in the caves of despair and depression……

Ooooppps let me take this call……

Dad, it was 14 days ago about right now our world turned upside down so I wanted to check on you and mom,….

It was Annaleigh’s Uncle T……

We are OK son……

14 days…..

Where did 14 days go…….

Where did 2 weeks go………

They seemed to have disappeared into the blog of emotion and prayers…..

While emotions continue to do what emotions do…..

I look forward to church tonight…….

I look forward to his presence…..

Friends, cards, associates and family have come and gone……

And on day 14, Tracie and I are unattended for the first time……..

I sit on here and let Tracie nap…..

I ponder His abiding grace even in the valley of the shadow of death…..

I give thanks for friends and family……

I so appreciate every prayer and note…..

Every token of condolence incredible….

The carefulness of CUPC phenomenal…..

You my dear friends have shared so much love with us…..

I simply and graciously offer a Thank You…..

rks